While DJs and dance dominate the final two days, the middle of the week has some great acts:
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9TH
|
TERRA STAGE La Roux, 22:30 PM Anglo electropop duo of Eleanor Kate Jackson & Ben Langmaid come to Terraneo fresh off their win for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the Grammys, capping off a great run since the release of their self-titled debut. The pair is working on a new record as we speak, so look for new La Roux (QRO photos) as well as old La Roux. |
|
|
Destroyer, 9:00 PM In the western Canadian super-group The New Pornographers (QRO live review), Dan Bejar has been called ‘the George Harrison’, thanks to his stripped, skilled alt-folk work in his own outfit, Destroyer, most recently in this year’s Kaputt (QRO review). |
|
|
Chad VanGaalen, 7:00 PM Calgary singer/songwriter Chad VanGaalen on the back of his new Diaper Island (QRO review).
Also: Bernays Propaganda, 6:00 PM
|
|
|
AQUA STAGE Konono N°1, 1:00AM The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) may be best known in the west for the tragic civil war still ongoing there (though who knows if westerners have even heard of that…), and Kinshasa for the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ between Muhammad Ali & George Foreman, but the capital city of the massive nation brought forth Konono N°1, whose DIY usage of the electric likembé has recently found a home in indie music ears. |
 |
|
Frank Turner, 10:15 PM While Frank Turner (QRO photos) began his life in music as singer for the post-hardcore act Million Dead, since that band’s break-up in 2005, the Bahrain-born, Britain-raised artists has turned to political indie-folk. He’s not a stranger to big stages, however, having opened up for Green Day (QRO album review) at stadium shows in the U.K. last summer. |
|
|
Wovenhand, 8:00 PM David Eugene Edwards combines a variety of influences and styles as Wovenhand – and the Denver native is no stranger to the Old World (QRO live review in Europe).
Also: Repetitor, 6:15 PM Ruiz, 5:00 PM
|
 |
|
AERO STAGE Dan Deacon, 2:30 AM Bringing the wild, DIY element to Terraneo is Dan Deacon (QRO photos). The Baltimore native is a man of many talents, including throwing his own DIY festivals & tours, like 2009’s recent ‘Round Robin’ tour (QRO live review) with No Age & Deerhunter. But he’s still best known as an electronic musician, most recently with Bromst (QRO review), which gets wild live, whether with his fifteen-piece backing band (QRO live review) or Deacon standing & playing from in the crowd (QRO photos, outdoors at a festival). |
|
|
Suuns, 9:00 PM Montreal’s Suuns (QRO photos) are a post-industrial group (QRO photos at a festival) that is not the easiest to listen to (when they’re not serving as backing band to city-mate Elizabeth Powell – QRO interview – as Land of Talk – QRO photos of Powell & Suuns). |
 |
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10TH
|
TERRA STAGE The National, 11:30 PM Cincinnati-by-way-of-Brooklyn’s The National (QRO photos outdoors) hit it big in 2007 with Boxer (QRO review) and tracks like "Fake Empire", "Mistaken For Strangers", and "Apartment Story" (QRO video at a festival) – and again in 2008 with The Virginia EP (QRO review), but that just presaged this year’s High Violet (QRO review), which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts (QRO expanded edition review). An impressive and much-in-demand act (QRO live review), they’re fitting in nicely as a festival headliner (QRO photos headlining a festival). Blown up to the point that New York Times Magazine ran a feature on them & Obama used (a family-friendly) bit of "Mr. November" (QRO video at a festival) as a campaign song, The National (QRO photos at a festival) have taken the summer by storm (QRO photos headlining a festival), including Europe (QRO photos in Europe), the festival circuit (QRO photos at a festival), and the European festival circuit (QRO photos at a European festival). |
|
|
Janelle Monae, 9:00 PM The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter nicely crosses between the urban and alternative genres, from signing to Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ Bad Boy Record to opening on tour with of Montreal (QRO live review with of Montreal).
Also: The Bambi Molesters, 7:00 PM Leut Magnetik, 5:30 PM
|
|
|
AQUA STAGE Crystal Castles, 1:00 AM Most electronic acts are restrained on stage, even when their crowd is going nuts, but the duo of Ethan Kath & Alice Glass (QRO live review) match their audience’s fervor – which has gotten them booted from more than one stage, especially at festivals (though played Osheaga only two years ago). So even if you fall on the ‘hate’ side of this love-them-or-hate-them act (from Canada, surprisingly…), show up for the spectacle… (QRO live review) |
|
|
Mogwai, 10:15 PM There are a few icons in post-rock, such as Explosions In the Sky (see above) and Mogwai. The Scottish outfit has done everything from a live DVD, Burning (QRO photos at a festival) to soundtracking Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (QRO review – though that was before the French football star did his illegal head-butt in the World Cup). This year’s awesomely titled Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will (QRO review) was a major comeback after the disappointing The Hawk Is Howling (QRO review), and the much in-demand tour (QRO live review) comes to Terraneo (QRO photos at a European festival). |
 |
|
Liars, 8:00 PM Though 2001’s They Threw Us All In a Trench and Stuck a Monument On Top got Liars (QRO photos outdoors) labeled ‘dance-punk’, they’ve since shifted radically, losing old fans, but gaining new ones (QRO photos at a festival), especially with last year’s Sisterworld (QRO review), and at festivals (QRO photos at a festival).
Also: Man Zero, 6:15 PM XAXAXA, 5:00 PM
|
|
|
AERO STAGE Handsome Furs, 2:30 AM Handsome Furs (QRO photos) an electronic pop two-piece Canadian band out of Montreal. Husband and wife Dan Boeckner and Alexei Perry (QRO photos at a festival) use keyboards, drum machines, and mixing guitar to create anthems full of power. Perry and Boeckner, also of Wolf Parade (QRO live review), find inspiration in Eastern Europe club culture and industrial sides during their travels, and even starred in CNN.com’s web series, ‘Indie Asia: On Tour with Handsome Furs’. The Handsome Furs (QRO photos) just released their third album, Sound Kapital (QRO review). |
 |
THURSDAY, AUGUST 10TH
|
TERRA STAGE Nouvelle Vague, 11:30 PM Keeping with the EU-wide flavor at applicant Croatia’s Terraneo, France’s own Nouvelle Vague (QRO spotlight on) comes to the festival. The collective led by Marc Collin (QRO interview) and Olivier Libaux, Nouvelle Vague (QRO photos) – whose name means ‘new wave’ in French, and ‘bossa nova’ in Portuguese -came to fame reworking ‘regular’ seventies & eighties songs in a French accent, from New Wave like Blondie (QRO live review) to punk like The Clash. Last year saw the release of collection Best of, so expect all the Francophied versions of hits from Nouvelle Vague (QRO photos at a festival). |
|
|
The Fall, 9:00 PM No festival is complete without an iconic, venerable alt-act, bringing some class and history to the event. For Terraneo, it’s The Fall. Begun in Manchester all the way back in 1976, The Fall evolved from a pioneering punk band to a pioneering post-punk band, with numerous cast changes around founder/frontman Mark E. Smith. One of those bands that spawned numerous other great bands, The Fall have been name-checked by the likes of Pavement (QRO live review), with the great "Conduit For Sale!" (QRO video), and The Wedding Present (QRO live review), in "Take Me!" from Bizarro (QRO album live review). They’re also an incredibly prolific act, so who knows what to expect from the set list at Terraneo.
Also: Overflow, 7:00 PM East Rodeo, 5:30 PM
|
|
|
AQUA STAGE The Raveonettes, 1:00 AM Danish rock-star duo Sune Rose Wagner & Sharin Foo (QRO photos at a festival) first got notice for making all of their music in the key of B-flat minor (2002’s Whip It On) then b-flat major (2003’s Chain Gang of Love), before widening their sound (and band) for 2005’s Pretty In Black (including guest appearance by Ronnie Spector – QRO photos). However, they returned & revived their minimalism with their last three records, Lust Lust Lust (QRO review), In and Out of Control, and Raven in the Grave (QRO review), some haunting garage throwbacks (QRO photos). |
|
|
The Baseball Project, 10:15 PM The Baseball Project boasts the all-star line-up of Peter Buck (of R.E.M. – QRO album review), Steve Wynn, Scott McCaughey (of The Minus 5), and Lina Pitmon – an American pastime that’s sure to translate to Croatia. |
 |
|
The Thermals, 8:00 PM Portland locals The Thermals (QRO photos) have become lo-fi heroes since their debut, More Parts Per Million, delivering catchy pop-punk the kids love (and playing Sasquatch! in 2003). However, even after moving from Seattle’s Sub Pop to their hometown’s Kill Rock Stars with 2009’s Now We Can See (QRO review) and this year’s Personal Life (QRO review), they’ve never become that impressive to a finer-tuned ear. But they’ve got a legion of fans (QRO photos) that turn out in force, especially outdoors (QRO photos outdoors), at a festival (QRO photos at a festival), and especially outdoors at a festival (QRO photos outdoors at a festival).
Also: My Buddy Moose, 6:15 PM Dok Analogx, 5:00 PM |
For festival website, go here: http://www.terraneofestival.com/en/Default.aspx
